Cleared for Takeoff - The Triporati Blog » Icelandhttp://www.triporati.com/blog
Sharing stories about the world and travelSat, 27 Jun 2015 05:56:02 +0000http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6enBaby Moonshttp://www.triporati.com/blog/2009/03/07/baby-moons/
http://www.triporati.com/blog/2009/03/07/baby-moons/#commentsSun, 08 Mar 2009 01:24:02 +0000http://www.triporati.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/baby_moon_by_notsogoodphotography-custom1.jpgBaby Moonshttp://www.triporati.com/blog/2009/03/07/baby-moons/
Darya Meadhttp://www.triporati.com/blog/?p=1866About six months ago I got a note in the mail about some long forgotten frequent flyer program miles expiring and I ordered Cookie Magazine – a newish glossy for ‘stylish’ moms. Sounded pretentious and I barely have time to read my mail, but I ordered it (it was free) and occasionally I find good or fun information. Yesterday, I read a brief article about Baby Moons; a pre- baby vacation for expectant parents. It is a tad irritating that there is a name for it, but I think all parents at least think about a last hurrah travel plan before baby changes your life. I know one couple who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, another who backpacked around India and yet another who opted for an all-inclusive pampering holiday in the Caribbean. It’s hard for me to think back that far, before my boys and their travel companionship, but I think my husband and I took a killer backpacking trip in the Sierras with 3 other couples. Whatever your fancy, the three destinations highlighted interested me… Iceland, Bermuda and Napa, California. I’ve been to Iceland and Napa and love both. For a true getaway, despite the fact that the country is in financial ruin, Iceland has an otherworldly quality. You feel utterly cleansed after a few days there; perhaps ready to be a parent.
]]>http://www.triporati.com/blog/2009/03/07/baby-moons/feed/Halfpriceland: Iceland Is Affordable in a Bad Economyhttp://www.triporati.com/blog/2009/01/21/halfpriceland-iceland-is-affordable-in-a-bad-economy/
http://www.triporati.com/blog/2009/01/21/halfpriceland-iceland-is-affordable-in-a-bad-economy/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2009 19:12:58 +0000http://www.triporati.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/iceland-winter-feature.jpgHalfpriceland: Iceland Is Affordable in a Bad Economyhttp://www.triporati.com/blog/2009/01/21/halfpriceland-iceland-is-affordable-in-a-bad-economy/
Larry Habeggerhttp://www.triporati.com/blog/?p=1624One of the benefits (if there are such things) to the current economic implosion is the sudden affordability of services or destinations that were once out of reach for many. Iceland went figuratively bankrupt this fall when the banking crisis pulled the rug out from under the country’s economy, and Icelanders needed to scramble to find ways to make ends meet.

One way was to push tourism up the scale of importance and hope to draw visitors to pump needed foreign currency into the ailing system. According to Madeline Drexler in the Los Angeles Times, this produced a clever promotion from the tourism industry: Halfpriceland, the new affordable Iceland. And it turns out to be true. The U.S. dollar trades for almost twice the number of krona it did a year ago, making prices comparable with those in the U.S.

The question remains, though, how many visitors want to be in Iceland in the winter, with short days and cold nights. But with geothermal springs everywhere and a searing nightlife in Reykjavik, winter probably makes little difference here anyway.